On Monday night, Mars will be closest to Earth – Virtual Poland

 
  On Monday evening (May 30), Mars will be the closest planet more than a decade. Astronomers are encouraged to look to the Red Planet, which in the coming weeks will be clearly visible in the evening sky practically all night.

 
 
 The smallest distance between the planets will be 75 279 709 km. It is the closest for more than ten years, but not a record. After a little over two years will be called. great opposition of Mars and then the smallest distance will be about 57 million kilometers away.

 
 
 Orbital period of the Earth around the sun lasts one year. On the other hand, Mars needs to go round its orbit of 687 days. This means that at a little over two years, our planet is catching up with Mars and the two bodies are almost in one line, on the same side of its orbit relative to the sun.

 
 
 In this period there are good conditions for observing Mars – it is the brightest lights and most of the night. For lovers of amateur astronomy with telescopes it is also an opportunity for easier to spot various structures on the surface of the planet, for example. Polar caps. When Mars is near, it shields the planet seen through a telescope is also greater. Currently, it has a diameter of 18.6 seconds arc.

 
 
 In the coming days, Mars will be visible in the evening quite low on the southern horizon as glowing red-orange glow bright object. By the way wypatrywania Mars can also see two other planets. A little to his left (east) a little less shining Saturn. On the other hand, on the opposite side of the sky, on the west, above the horizon than Mars, the planet Jupiter shines brightly.

 
 
 In identifying Mars may help also the following tip: below Mars and Saturn can be seen fairly bright star Antares (but weaker than Mars and Saturn), which also has a glow in a color similar to Mars. Together Mars, Saturn and Antares form the vertices of the triangle.

 
 
 For many years, Mars is a goal of intense research by scientists. Currently we are circling around him or rides on the surface of several automated probes, in particular the European probe Mars Express orbital, the US probe Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, American rovers Curiosity and Opportunity, as well as the Indian Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan). On the way to the planet is in turn orbital probe Trace Gas Orbiter and lander Schiaparelli (mission Euro-Russian).